Current status of the agariyas:
Strategy:
● Mass empowerment to enable public to demand and get their work done
● Evolving organically and naturally with the willingness and thought processes of the
community. Avoiding prejudices
● Working according to capacity and pushing beyond fatigue
Updates:
● 3 female field workers to join hands to facilitate working with women in the area
● 1 female worker already recruited. She is currently in training
Current:
● Community is not in a state to stand up against industry forces by themselves
● Salt production → INFRASTRUCTURE, RURAL CONNECTIVITY →Market access.
Infrastructure and rural access is the missing link to economic freedom
● Creating an atmosphere for dialogue, community needs to take the issue forward with
the government to exert pressure to act as necessary
● Janpath ready to withdraw any support if the community doesn’t the lead the fight
● Identity cards to salt pan worker families were issued similar to the MNREGA job cards
● Public servants and doctors not residing in the area
● Insufficient medicines being distributed
● ‘Darbar’ community dominating most of the areas. Creating tensions and
demanding ‘honor’
Interview with the field fellows:
Bharat bhai, Marut bhai and Ghanksyam bhai
17th July, 2012
Bharat bhai- Surendranagar Marut bhai- Rajkot
Issues:
● Education-Mostly self
funded schools, very
large area and fewer
schools
● Water-Pipelines laid
and water through
tanker (weekly)
● Health-Women &
child health is prime
concern

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Education is being
provided at only 2
places
Exploitation by the
market is the more
critical issue here
Health van visits once
in a month
Female workers
needed as the ladies

Ghanshyam bhaiSantalpur
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Education is a
concern
Water is supplied
once in 10-15 days
No ground water
supply here
Traders are migrating
out of the area which
is also effecting the
market accessability

1

Agariya Status Update- Site visit report
25th July 2012
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Ration-Not supplied
in the desert
Subsidies for salt pan
workers but banks
do not issue loans
due to lack of security
(property)
Interest waived in lieu
of lower fixed selling
price of 150-190 Rs/
tonne by traders
Group negotiations
hasn’t still caught up
well and normally it
doesn’t work out as
the power of traders is
more
Hindustan salt has
been helping set up
a fair price for the
salt. They have a
Price fixing committee
which recommends a
price based on market
needs. Last year they
purchased salt at Rs.
500/tonne which also
affected other traders
to slightly increase
their prices but only
sparsely
Dena bank has
issued credit cards
to 60 families with
AHRM acting as
the guarantor. This
would decrease the
influence of traders
Long term lease is
seen as a possible
solution
Community has
otherwise good
relations with traders,
AHRM and forest
officials
No MNREGA

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Santosh Rohit
AID-Buffalo
and girls are hesitant
to approach the male
workers in the mobile
health van
Salt is produced from
sea water here
10 plots owned by
traders are run by
mechanical methods
which leaves very little
brine for the traditional
salt pan workers
Land leased to
agariyas have
expired. Since 2001,
land being selectively
leased to bigger
industries and not for
agariyas
Water pipeline not
functional and water
is being bought from
tankers
Ration does not
contain all materials
and is only functional
in the villages and not
the desert
Salt fetches 150190Rs/tonne in this
area
Mechanised
production and
processing fetches
around Rs. 1200/
tonne. This is done
bigger companies or
factories
Change agents being
encouraged from the
community

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to salt pan workers
Transportation of salt
to the market place is
a huge problem
Health referral center
has no doctors, no
ambulances, no
operators and no
technicians.
Only 1 center in 70
kms
Occupational health is
still an issue
Water should be
arranged thorugh a
desalination plant
Very high need for
female health workers
in the area
Very little work if at
all allocated under
MNREGA
No unemployment
benefits ever given

2

Agariya Status Update- Site visit report
25th July 2012

Santosh Rohit
AID-Buffalo

implementation in the
area

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During the 4 month off season, agariyas indulge in gutkas, drinking and whiling away
(realxing?)
● Alternative livelihoods such as production of special traditional foods, embroidery work,
achars, papads and herbal medicines
● Talking with Gujarat government to set up rural technology centers to encourage
alternative livelihoods
● When talking to an agariya at the public consultations, I was told that a lot has
changed in the last 4-5 years with agariyas getting ID cards, some health facilities,
educational facilities and awareness through Janpath and AHRM. He said that
they were better equipped to handle the situation
I have suggested advocating/pushing for special MNREGA provisions for agariyas to aid in
more income during the off-season.
Impressions:
● The field workers are highly motivated and are behind community mobilisation all the
time
● Individually, Bharat bhai and marut bhai are the down to earth and calm workers who
are more intense but Ghanshyam bhai is a vibrant personality with good communication
skills
● The project thrusts the responsibility of the proper discharge of their duties with the
community. This in more analogous to a public servant
● The agariya community has seen a sea of change in the last few years and are very
hopeful for a brighter future
● They would want to tread a line of trust with the traders and in return want them to be
more fair in their approach
● They want better market access to progress
● The only post graduate (graduate?) from the community has’nt been employed so far
and this is kind of having a negative impact on others. Their line of defense being that a
educated life is no better than theirs when there is no ready employment
● The employment of female field workers will be a great beginning as the better half of
the population will have a person to talk with
● The availabilty of brine has been decreasing in the past many years. Be it due to
industrialisation or environmental factors, there is an urgent need to have a greater
exodus to alternative livelihoods
● Credit provided by DENA bank should be extended to other salt producers